today we had a great day of conversation. i hooked up with friend jim palmer for a day of conversation ‘connecting with non-religious yet spiritual people’ and some 25 folks. i tried to broadcast it over ustream, which, it might have actually done. i think though our church wireless wasn’t quite up to task for it though. i did record most of it on simple video, so maybe i can put some out there in future days. jim has given a little synopsis of the conversation.

i really enjoyed our time together today! let me try and summarize
some things that came up, and then ask for your feedback on a few items.

in summary….

1. all people have "spiritual" interests and desires (i.e. desire for
peace,love, freedom, and contentment). unless you live on an island,
every person has had exposure to religion. some people have spent more
time and energy seeking God and spiritual things through religion than
others but all people are influenced by the presence of religion in
society and culture.

2. "religion" is defined as a fixed or defined system of beliefs,
practices, and structures meant to aid people in knowing God.

3. a "non-religious" person is someone for whom that organized system
of beliefs, practices, and structures is not beneficial for their
"spiritual growth and desire to know God. in cases where those
religious beliefs, practices, and structures are oppressive,
legalistic, judgmental, shallow, hypocritical, and demeaning, people
are deeply wounded and damaged from their previous religious
involvements, and are therefore often resentful of those individuals
and churches involved.

4. a highly organized form of church is only one form of church. this
form of church works for some people but not all people. an increasing
number of people no longer subscribe to the idea that "church" must
involve a building, organized programs, and weekly worship services.

5. the panel today is representative of many non-religious people:

Mike – Buddhist AND Christian
Jeffrey – Don’t label me anything, get to know me.
Carlene – Don’t put yourself or others in a box.
Doug – Love is my religion.

6. unconditional love and acceptance, and cultivating true
relationships/friendships is what’s most "relevant" to non-religious
people. these cannot be accomplished or achieved within the typical
systems, structures, and programs of organized church life. in other
words, the true essence of "church" is not even possible AT church
(services, classes, groups, meetings, programs, etc.).

7. religion often labels/stereotypes people, too quickly judges and
condemns others who are different, and insists there must be "winners"
and "losers." religious energies are often focused on converting
people to different beliefs. what gets lost in all of this is truly
understanding people as they are or where they are, and how they got
there.

8. some people seek to "reform" organized forms of church to make the
message of Christ more accessible to non-religious people. others
choose to operate outside organized forms of church.

i want to encourage you to read the books: Authentic Relationships,
and Divine Nobodies. Consider this Yahoo Group an open forum for the
following:

– continuing the conversation of "connecting with the spiritual
interests of non-religious people"
– offering your feedback and input about today’s gathering
– sharing how things are evolving in your own personal life and/or in
your faith community as it relates to this topic
– sharing your input and feedback about the books
– passing along other helpful resources

another gathering is scheduled for the fall. if you are interested in
helping in any way, let me know. i am also working on a similar event
in which the panel will include clerics from Christianity, Judaism,
Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and an Atheist. let me know if you have any
interest in helping with that.

you can also always email me at jim(at)divinenobodies.com

thanks! jim